Air cooler



Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 20, 1036, Seria.l N0. 97,055 4Claims. (o1. 261-103) This invention relates to air cooling er conditioning devices and more particularly to an air coollng or conditioning device operating on the evaporatlon princlple.

5 An object of this invention is to provide an air conditioning means which is exceedingly simple in construction and by means of which air in a room may be readily cooled through the evaporation of water which is discharged onto a. plurality of ab- 10 sorbent sheets and then the water evaporated .by

means of a fan or blower.

A further object of this invention is 1:0 provide a device cf this kind which is exceedingly simple in construction and which will not occupy an un- 15 duly large space so that it may be placed at any convenient point in a room in order to cool the air within the room.

With the foregoing and other objects In view, the invention. will be more fully described here- 20 inafter, a.nd will be more particularly pointed out;

in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

5. Figure 1 is a perspective view partly broken away and In sectlon of an air conditioning means constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 1s a fragmeritary sectional view taken 30 on the 1Ine 22 cf Figure 1.

Referrlng to the drawlng, the numeral I designates generally a base frame struct.ure including a. plurality of uprights or posts II secured together adjacent the lower portlon thereof by 35 horizontal bars or stiles I3. The frame I0 has a top portion I2 which may be enclosed anti which Is provided with a tank or liquid reservoir I4.

Th1s reservoir I4 is provlded With a discharge pipe I5 in the bottom thereof sind. a valve I6 is cou- 40 riected to the discharge pipe I5 and is so constructed that the water or the liquid in the tank or reservoir I4 may be discharged in drops through the valve I6.

The drops falling from the. valve IG contact 45 wit.h the a.pex of a cone-shaped spreader II whlch is disposed on the upper surface of an absorbent sheet I8. The spreader I'I is preferably constructed of metal or other non-absorbent material and the absorbent sheet I8 is constructed 50 of sultable material adapted 130 absorb the mois-' ture flowing down over the surface of the cone I'I and then spread th1s moisture about the ent1re ara 015 the sheet I8.

Horizontal supporting bars I9 extend across 55 the trame I0 upwardly frbm the bottom. thereof and these supportlng bars I8 are preferably provided with upwardly opening notches or recesses 20 wlthin which transverse bars 2I are adapted t) seat. These bars 2I form part of frame structure for holding a plurallty o! vertically dispos.ed 1 evaporatlon sheets 22 w1thin the frame I0. Vertically disposed parallel bars 23 extend downwardly from the upper bars 20 and. are secured ab their lower ends to lower horizontal frame bars 24, thereby' providing a. rectangular frame structure within which the evaporation sheets 22 are loosely disposed. The upper ends of the fabric members22 preferably extend. above the upper bars 20 and may be secured, in any desired. manner, to. the underslde 015 the spreader sheet I8. Or, 1f deslred, the upper ends 01 the sheets 22 may be merely dlsposed In contactlng r6lation with the underside of the spreader sheet I8 so that the moisture from the sheet I8 will be communlcated t;o the vertical sheet 22 and thus flow downwardly along th1s sheet 22.

'I'helower horizontal frame bars 24 a.re adapted. to engage in notches 25 in the lower frame members I3 of the frame I0 so that. the frames for the vertical absorbent sheets 22 will be firmly held 25 and may also be readily removed trom the maln or base frame, 1f deslred.

A drlp pan er recelving member 26 1s disposed below the vertical sheets 22 and.is adapted to catch any dropsof water which are n0t evapo- 30 raced along the surface cf the several vertical sheets 22. Preferably, there are a number of these vertical sheets 22 disposed wlthln the frame I0 with the shee ts disposed in spaced apart parallel relation so that a fan or blower 21 may be dlsposed at one side 012 the frame I0 in a. position to force a1r through the space between each pair of vertlcal sheets 22. This fan 21 may be disposed on a suitable support carrled by the'frame I0 or may be dlsposed at a s1lght distance away from the frame I0 so that the draft of a1r from the fan 21 will be blown toward the confronting edges of the vertical fabric members 22 am]. pass therebetween and i'n passing evaporate the moisture on the sheets 22.

II; is, of course, well known that the rapid evaporatlon of water will efiect a lowering of the air temperature and lt is for this reason that the moisture from the reservoir I4 is thoroughly spread out over the surface o! a considerable number of moisture holdlng sheets or blankets.

In the use and operatlon of th1s air condition- Ing means, the water 1s placed in the reservoir I4 and if deslred, thls water may be cooled wlth1ce or the ]1ke and the valve I8 opened sufllciently to ma.lntain the absorbent spreader I8 in a meistened condltion. The water dropplng from the valve I 6 will flow down over the surface of the A cone-shaped member I! onto the blanket er ab- 5 sorbentplate I8 a.nd passlng through thls platze I 8, the misture will flow down over the suriace 01 the vertically disposed sheets 22. 'I'he 1'an 21 will cause a draft o1. alr to nass horizontally through the sheets 22 thereby eifectlng an evapo- 10 ratlon o1 the water as lt flows downwardly over the sheets 22 and thus cool the air passlng out from between these sheets 22. Any excess meisture flowing down the sheets 22 will drop into the receiving pa.n 26.

Whlle this device has been constructed in the form cf a, device to be placed wlthin a. room lt 1s, of course, understood that th1s device might also be placed at one end of one or more flues or plpes for carrying the cooled a1r to different parts of a.

20 buflding or dliferent parts of a room.

- It ls, 01 course, understood that va.rlous changes and modiflcatlons ma.y be made in the detalls of constructlon und design 01 the above speclflcally described embodlm'ent 01 th1s invention without 25 departing from the spirlt thereof, such changes und. modiflcations belng restricted only by the scope of the followlng claims.

I clalm:- y 1. An a1r conditloning means comprlsing a 30 frame, a liquid reservoir carrled by the frame in the upper portion thereof, a plurality of parallel spaced apart absorbent members disposed below the reservoir wlth1n the frame. a. valve carrled by the reservoir substantially centrally thereof for 5 regulatlng the flow 01 liquid therefrom, a molsture spreadlng means interposed between the 'valve und the absorbent members to spread the meist:ure about the surface' of said members, said spreadlng means includlng an absorbeut sheet contacting wlth the upper ends of said members and a. non-absorbent spreadlng member disposed between sald spreadlng means and said sheet.

2. An 8.1! conditioning means comprising a 1rame, a. liquid reservoir in the frame, a. plurallty of absorbent sheets disposed in spaced apart parallel relation to auch other, means for supporting said sheets within the frame in substantlally vertical posltlon, an absorbent spreader member engaging the upper edges of sa1d absorbent sheets, a valve carried by the reservolr for regulating the flow of liquid onto the surface of said spreader member and a-non-absorbent spreader member interposed between said valve and said absorbent 'spreader member.

3. An air condltioning means comprising a frame, a liquid reservoir in the frame, a plurality of spaced apart parallel absorbent sheets dlsposed withlm the frame, means for supportlng said sheets in vertical positlon with1n the frame, an absorbent spreader member enga.glng the upper edges o1! said absorbent sheets, a valve carrled by sald reserVolr overlying said spreader member and a conical non-absorbent spreader member interposed between the valve and sa1d. absorbent sprea.der member.

4. An a1r conditlonlng means comprising a frame, a reservolr in the frame, a. plurality of vertically spaced apart absorbent sheets disposed within. the trame, means for supporting sald sheets in a. vertlcal posltion within the frame, a fabrlc member engaging the upper edges 01 sald absorbent sheets and disposed in substantially horizontal position, a cone-shaped spreader engaging the upper surtace o! sald fabrlc member, a. valve carried by the reservoir overlying the apex of said spreader member, and a catch basin disposed below sald absorbent sheets.

SAMUEL VERNON KIVE'I'I'. 

